A tale of an Olympian lost to culture
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday November 1, 2025 06:00
At 20, Moyengwa had the world at her feet. She was rated as Africa’s top weightlifter in the 59kg, she had made history by becoming her country’s first weightlifter to participate at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championship, before the most prized; being the first Botswana weightlifter to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2020.
A sparkling career was rapidly taking shape, and Botswana’s sport authorities were elated with Moyengwa’s progress in a sport that does not command a huge following. Moyengwa was fast changing narratives as the global media zoomed in on her achievements, with a lot more expected to come from the rising star.
Her interest—and career—in weightlifting took off whilst she was in secondary school in 2014. Through the country’s talent identification programmes, Moyengwa was able to hone her weightlifting skills in neighbouring South Africa, where training and resources are more advanced.
In no time, Moyengwa was on the world stage, taking sixth position at the IWF World Championships in Thailand in 2019. Her father was initially opposed to his daughter pursuing the sport, but her progress and success on the international stage forced his hand. With the blessing of her family and the wider community to participate in what has remained a largely male-dominated sport, Moyengwa had cleared a hurdle that has become the end of most female athletes’ careers.
But here she was, preparing for her biggest break: participation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which were held in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
In the middle of the euphoria of being Africa’s top-rated weightlifter, the first Botswana athlete to take part in the IWF World Championships and the Olympic Games, Moyengwa’s promising rise to the top was about to quietly fold.
Two years after she participated in the sport’s biggest competition, the Olympics, Moyengwa had already withdrawn from the local and international spotlight.
Questions about her whereabouts surfaced after she gave media interviews about a decision to take a break from sport. Moyengwa had unwittingly come up against one of several barriers that cut short female athletes’ careers: culture.
The athlete is from the Bazezuru tribe, a distinct group found mostly in the north-eastern parts of Botswana and neighbouring Zimbabwe. The tribe stands out for its strict adherence to religious and cultural beliefs, with women expected to take care of the family. In between Moyengwa’s weightlifting exploits, she got married, meaning she had to devote considerable time to her family and abandon a potentially life-changing sporting career. At just 24 years old, Moyengwa has long abandoned the weights that made her famous, withdrawn into private life, and efforts to locate her are akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Botswana Weightlifting Federation president Joseph Matambo says it was difficult to retain Moyengwa due to her cultural customs.
“Unfortunately, we could not retain her because of her tribal customs. She was withdrawn because of those reasons,” he explains.
“She comes from a tribe where they withdraw you when you become married. We tried every possible way to retain her, but there was not much we could do.”
Moyengwa’s story of a promising career cut short echoes the situation of countless female athletes who are forced to abandon the sports field for the ‘kitchen’ and other societal expectations.
Keenese Katisenge-Tizhani, chairperson at the Women and Sport Botswana, says female athletes face multifaceted challenges that hinder their participation and long-term engagement in sport.
“Traditional gender roles often prioritise domestic responsibilities over athletic pursuits, discouraging girls from pursuing sport seriously,” she says.
Further, Katisenge-Tizhani notes that female athletes are forced to abandon sports due to transitions in life.
“Many promising athletes disengage from sport due to pressures related to education, employment, or family obligations, often without structured support to help them balance these transitions,” she says.
A 2021 research study carried out at the University of Visva-Bharati in India indicates that despite efforts on gender equality and equity, patriarchy remains one of the main hindrances to women’s participation in sport.
Katisenge-Tizhani concurs and says in Botswana, the situation echoes global concerns.
“Patriarchy continues to play a significant role in shaping the landscape of women’s sport in Botswana. It manifests in decision-making structures that are male-dominated, limiting women’s influence in policy and resource allocation. (Also), gender stereotypes that undervalue women’s athleticism and discourage competitive ambition,” she says.
The administrator also blames media representation, which at times focuses on the appearance and not the performance of female athletes. “Despite their achievements, women athletes are celebrated less and rewarded minimally compared to their male counterparts,” she contends.
Women and Sport Botswana has come up with a multi-pronged strategy to even the playing field and ensure barriers are reduced, if not eliminated. These include parental workshops, community outreach programmes, policy advocacy, and school-based initiatives in a bid to influence mindset change.
“We believe that with sustained effort and collaboration, Botswana can build a more inclusive and equitable sporting culture that nurtures talents like Magdalene Moyengwa and ensures they thrive,” Katisenge-Tizhani opines.
In an effort to encourage equality in sport, the United Nations Women and the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) recently signed a landmark agreement to accelerate gender equality across the global sports arena. “The partnership will harness sport’s power to empower women and girls, strengthen movements, and drive systemic change worldwide,” UN Women said at the signing of the MOU in New York during the 80th UN General Assembly.